The unofficial AFC Rushden & Diamonds messageboard

ChorltonV wrote:

Duke of Wimbourne wrote:
Ambition seems to be a dirty word in the UCL, they need to take a leaf out of some of the Paraolympians.


8-)

I couldn't agree more, I can totally understand the speculation surrounding our finances, it must raise eyebrows given our support and we'll never stop the suspicions of other clubs. However to laud mediocrity and turn a nose up to ambition and progress is a bit odd.

Its definitely not just the UCL, I know there are various clubs in the Northern League that are the same in regards to just being content at step 5 and I guess in every other step 5/6 league as well. And while I don't want to be too disrespectful to our fellow UCL members, I agree, many of the attitudes to ambition this league are odd, I realise they have their reasons but I have to admit I'm not sure I quite understand it as I would think anyone involved in football who isn't in the premiership, fans or officials alike would at least have some aspirations to achieve success and play at a higher level, even if its unlikely to be plausible.

This quote in particular caught my eye:

"which means AFC R&D, must gain promotion from Division One this season-to fail is not an option"

To fail is not an option, he's got to be joking, since when did this club have the sh*t or bust approach :?

There isn't anyone seriously at this club that would consider this to be the case surely, no matter what the rest of the league thinks, we're all just happy to actually have our club back and I can honestly say imo promotion would just be a bonus.

Problem is everyone has an opinion on us and what they don't know they make up. :twisted:

Other end of the spectrum tonight. This from someone at Harrowby...

.......................................

We at Harrowby had the pleasure of welcoming AFC Diamonds today and must say the team and fans were a credit to their club. A difficult day for the club after the shock passing of our groundsman and treasurer "Stan".

The traveling support were most gracious in the minutes applause and we as a club would like to extend our thanks.

I had a great day out at Harrowby today, a nice club and I wish them well.
What they have done with the ground in the short amount of time they have had is remarkable.

A really nice club, I hope we will extend the hand of friendship, when they come to the D&D 8-)

Duke of Wimbourne wrote:I had a great day out at Harrowby today, a nice club and I wish them well.
What they have done with the ground in the short amount of time they have had is remarkable.

A really nice club, I hope we will extend the hand of friendship, when they come to the D&D 8-)

I quite agree.

This is the way we can quieten the UCL trolls - showing a bit of class works wonders.

Duke of Wimbourne wrote:I had a great day out at Harrowby today, a nice club and I wish them well.
What they have done with the ground in the short amount of time they have had is remarkable.

A really nice club, I hope we will extend the hand of friendship, when they come to the D&D 8-)

Touche

I wrote to Kevin, who I know a bit as S&L`s secretary through being on the NSYL management committee and suggested that he was wrong in saying AFC people would disappear if things didn`t quite go as well as quickly as some may think.

Kevin is a genuine guy who, along with John Davies and Lee Duffy, have done a terrific job in turning S&L round to being a decent club instead of one no-one wanted to visit.

Thought you might like to see his response.

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your email. I appreciate that you took the time to write.

My 'weekly column' as clearly stated was not knocking AFC but the
fascination the media has with the club. I had a similar discussion
with Jon Dunham. Again as stated, while it's great for AFC to have such
publicity I just personally felt there to be more deserving stories
such as the one or two I mentioned. I absolutely understand that with
having 600-800 Diamonds supporters any publication are therefore likely
to sell a further couple of hundred issues due to a two page
centrefold. If there was a two page article on Desborough or indeed my
own club S&L as examples, 2-3 extra copies tops would be sold-so I
understand why Stuart Hammond wrote the piece (and I tweeted him too by
the way!!).

As for the future, personally unlike many others I don't see it as
given that Diamonds will coast through in consecutive seasons to Step
4. From what I know of you I don't believe you see things that way
either-the UCL, both divisions is not easy. Things change over time and
what I was trying to say is that so do committees and volunteers as
success on the pitch means more time consumption off it and therefore
those involved currently are likely to fall by the wayside due to day
to day life and not having the available time to remain as volunteers.
That's all, maybe it didn't come across that way.What my articles do
however, is gain response and it's usually Diamonds fans v the Rest-
how else would it be? In some small way, i tried to balance the scales
against the NLP article. I mean, when will the next UCL double-spread
be?

I have admired your work from afar for some time and I do know your
background and what you do for the game locally and would love to have
walked in your shoes I guess! I'm quite enthusiastic about the
Northants UCL download newsletter rather than the ET/NT and the NLP as
it's focused on our league I think Steve Walsh and his team push the
bar out in what they produce as its very honest rather than a bit 'pink
and fluffy' which is historically the case in football journalism.

I have suggested to Jon Dunham about having a charity evening and
making it a 'Question Time' styled event and was aiming to approach
you, with Steve Walsh and Kevan Shoemake. I'd happily host it and much
as I'd love it at Occupation Road, personally believe there would be a
better response if it was held elsewhere...any ideas??!!

In summary, the column is not out to offend, merely provoke reaction
and is hopefully, as I stated, not detrimental to anyone.

I wish you, and AFC well this season.

Regards

Kevin

A Q & A with Jon Dunham - Mr K*ttering Town?

Pardon my French, but you have go to be ****ing joking!

Red Dragon wrote:A Q & A with Jon Dunham - Mr K*ttering Town?

Pardon my French, but you have go to be ****ing joking!

I think he means Jon Dunham advertising it - not being part of the Q&A!!!!

Thanks for posting the response from Kevin pitchero, but is it just me that still thinks his original post and subsequent rather tepid 'explanation' smells (of trolls perhaps)?

Before I go on I should point out that I have nothing whatsoever against Kevin. Now I've said that i can say what the hell I like about him and just point out my disclaimer, so whatever I say doesn't matter. It's not meant to offend, so doesn't matter if it actually does.

You have the benefit of knowing him and if you say he's not that bad then fair enough, but it's hard for anyone to take some .. ok most of the things he says as anything other than thinly disguised anti-AFC rhetoric. 'Just a comment about the medias facination with the club', oh come on, what was the other 80% of his post about then???

Now I may have a basic understanding of football than a lot of people but even I can work out that even though 700 x £5 x 18 may very well exceed £60k, but is about as realistic as K*tterings chances of surviving at Nene park. Even I know we're not going to maintain that kind of attendance throughout the season and that's not even taking into account the half price concessions and Under 16s, the free Under 8s and Under 16 members, discounted Season Ticket and Six Pack holders which all accounted for a sizeble chunk of the atendance. For someone who is the Secretary of a UCL club, who obviously knows better, well, there's that smell again.

And yes of course there will be changes to people about the club, as there is in every other club up and down the country and I'm sure there will be some of us still there in many years to come, as there are in every other club up and down the country. Who knows what the future will bring?? I haven't a clue, neither does Kevin, it just seems to be an attempt of trying to find something negative to say about nothing.

And as for the rest of it, I have other stuff to be getting on with so won't bore you all by picking it apart, you could probably all do it yourself anyway. But, as has been pointed out here and elsewhere, the only people that seem to be saying stuff like, 'we're going to breeze through the leagues', 'we must win this league this season, failure is not an option', 'we have to get back to the same level we were before' seems to be everybody except us.

But hang on it's all ok as he's pointed out he was just trying to "balance the scales against the NLP article", how noble of him. So he won't mind if we all do the same to anything positive about any other UCL club then. I'm sure everyone will be happy for us to just 'balance the scales' on anything posted on the UCL Facebook page. Bound to win us a few more friends isn't it, but perfectly fine if it's bashing us.

So in short then, his post wasn't anti-us, but was negative as he was balancing out a positive article, but not in a negative way, it was purely positive negativity... or something...